United Nations or UN Secretary-General on Wednesday urged religious leaders at the General Assembly at New York to speak up against injustices and brutality for the collective good and support moderation and mutual understanding.
Ban Ki-moon warns leaders of Islam, Judaism and Christianity against an ’empathy gap’ causing people to turn their eyes from injustice and numbing them to atrocities, UN News Digest reported.
He emphasizes that UN defends dignity and worth of the human person, the equal rights of men and women, tolerance and living together in harmony.
Mr Ki-moon says migrants are among the most vulnerable targets, adding that there is a ‘direct line’ between prejudice and extremism, racism and genocide.
The Secretary-General calls on religious leaders to promote dialogue as an antidote to intolerance and that their voices would be critical in countering hate speech and finding common grounds as they are on frontlines of their community and many of them see the forces of radicalization.
The UN Chief stresses the importance of addressing the root causes of extremism, calling on the faith-based leaders to ensure another better way of equality, promotion of opportunity and upholding human rights.
Mr Ki-moon reveals that later this year, he would present a UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, urging religious leaders to raise their voices to counter the narrative of extremists.